Vending machine



C. F. PEASE VENDING MACHINE Nov. 6, 1945.

5 Sheets-Sheet 1 lllIll[I\lIIllHllllllllllllllIHIHIII Filed NOV. 4, 1942 INVEAITOIR. C/zarZesFPease,

Nov. 6, 1945.

INVENTOR. CfiarZesFPeas e C. F. PEASE VENDING MACHINE Nov. 6, 1945.

Filed Nov. 4, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 44 e, ,y M5 1 e r a; P 0 4} F r 1? 5. W11

Patented Nov. 6, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,388,497 VENDING MACHINE CharlesIF. Pease, Long Beach, Calif.

Application November 4, 1942, Serial No. 464,452

7 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in vending machines of that particular type which is adapted to dispense'packages of food products'or other articles and which further is adapted to'be controlled by'any suitable coin operated appara tus. This application isa continuation in part of my companion applications Serial No. 364,621, filed Nov. 7, 1940, now Patent 2,309,008, issued Jan. 19, 1943, and Serial No. 370,272','filed Dec. 16, 1940, now Patent 2,353,496, issued July 11, 1944. With the present invention the articles which are dispensed may be regular or irregular in shape and dimensions, such as occur with packages of peanuts, candy, etc. A particular advantage of this invention isthat thepackages or articles in the machine are are successively juxtaposed in the dispensing unit in full view so that the vendee can see the article which is purchased or dispensed before operating the machine. Another advantage is that the magazine can be easily and quickly reloaded. My improvement is simple and inexpensive in construction,

easily fabricated and manufactured, smooth in operation, will not easily get out of order and-is highly elfectivein use. Further objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description including the drawings, of which Fig. 1 is a front elevation of my improved dispensing unit; Fig. 2 is a plan of the structure shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a section taken approximately on line 3--3 of Fig. 2*; Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the hand operable actuator applied to the dispensing unit, a portion of the latter bein shown; Fig. 5 is a bottom plan of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, when the impeller element is removed; Fig. 6 is a bottom plan of a detail portion of the structure shown in Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a section of a detail taken approximately on line 1-1 of Fig.5, and Fig. 8 is an endview of a detail looking at the outer end of the release bar 64.

The drawings show my improved dispensing unit applied to the front panel or faceplate of a vending machine cabinet, in which a number of dispensing units may, when desired be assembled to dispense a number of different kinds of articles, said unit being adapted to be coin controlled by any suitable coin control, notshown. A represents the front or face plate which may be incorporated into a cabinet, (a portion ll of which is shown), by the vertical bolt or screw receiving flanges l2. The panel or face plate has-a'sight opening [3, on one side, closed by the window l4, through which the article nextto be dispensed is displayed. The panel also has a companion opening or mouth I5, in the'adjacentside, normally'closed by the outwardly horizontally swinging hinged door l6 and held closed automatically by the coin controlled operating mechanism as will be hereinafter described. The lower portion of the panel has a rearwardly extending supporting flange I! (see Fig. 5), upon which the annular skeleton base [8 for supportinga circular magazine B is rigidly secured by the screws l9 (see Fig. 5) or other suitable means.

The magazine is composed of a rigid outer annular wall 20 which is secured to the outer face of the vertical flanged portion of the annular base by brazing or other suitable means. The skeleton base. l8 for supporting the outer wall of the circular magazine B is of substantially annular skelton form, that is it has an annular rim supported by radiating arms like the spokes of a wheel from a rigid central hub I8 all of which are disposed in'a horizontal plane. Aturn table 2| resembling a disk and a ratchet wheel 35, respectively above and below and coaxial with said h'ub are fixedly united together andjournaled on the opposite sides of the hub by the pivot bolt 22, whereby when the ratchet wheel is revolved similar movement is transmitted to the turn table.

A magazine frame C is freely journaled concentrically within the outer wall 20 upon the turn table 2| by the pivot bolt 22 the lower surface of the floor of the magazine frame revolubly hearing upon the surface of the turn table. This magazine frame has a disc floor 23 and an annular series of compartments formed by the annular inner wall 24 and radiating partitions 25 mounted upon the floor. The periphery of the disc floor has an upstanding article retaining rim 2|. The compartments are adapted to successively register with the sight opening [3 and the doorway l5 as the magazine frame is revolved forwardly in a horizontal plane in the direction of the arrows shown in Fig. 2'. Articles to be dispensed such as packages D of nuts, candy, etc. wrapped in Cellophane or other transparent or suitable material are placed in the compartments and are urged and ejected radially outwardly by. leaf springs 28 so as to lodge by their lower portions against the retaining rim 2|, and upon reaching the sight opening and doorway rest closely but out of contact with the window l4 and the door l6, whereby the contents of the packages or the packages themselves are clearly visible through the sight opening and can be discharged through the doorway when the door is released and opened. Normally the door is closed by the retractile' spring 2T'(see Fig. 5), Thus the magaz'ine'frameC resembles an annular rotatable tray divided into an annular series of compartments opening radially outwardly and upwardly, each compartment being provided with a resilient ejector spring for holding the articles forwardly in upright position but out of contact with the outer stationary wall of the magazine in position to be dispensed radially outwardly and to permit free revolution of the magazine frame. The rearward portion of the outer stationary magazine wall 20 is provided with outwardly swinging sections constituting door segments 28, hinged at 29 in the outer wall 20 to provide openings through which the compartments in the magazine frame C can be filled or charged with the articles to be dispensed. These door segments are normally held closed as shown in Fig. 2 by the latch 30.

The magazine frame is rotated through the use of a coin controlled hand operated actuator E, to be hereinafter described, the rotation being step by step to successively juxtapose the articles to be dispensed, first with the sight opening, followed by discharging the articles thus displayed through the discharge doorway. The turn table 2| i fixedly connected to a ratchet wheel 35, said turn table and ratchet wheel being freely journaled concentrically on the hub l8 of the skeleton base I8. The magazine frame C has the central portion 23' of its floor journaled by the pivot bolt 22 upon the turn table with an intervening spacing disk 23", the latter thus constituting the lower surface of said floor. The rotatable magazine frame has a suitably positioned coupling pin 36, by which it is releasably locked to the turn table in an engaging socket 31. By this means when loading the magazine frame the latter can be released and freely rotated to facilitate filling empty compartments through the back of the device or to cause a loaded compartment to coincide with the sight opening in which latter position the magazine frame can be again coupled to the turn table and automatically remain coupled. Only a single socket 31 is provided in the turn table. In use when it is desired to replenish the compartments in a partly filled magazine frame, the latter is released by the pin 36 to permit loading. After loading the magazine frame is again returned to its original position and reengaged by the pin. In this manner it becomes necessary to dispense old stock first and this prevents an un desirable accumulation of old stock in the device.

The turn table 2| including the ratchet wheel 35 is rotated step by step to juxtapose the compartments successively with the sight opening and mouth of the magazine by suitable ratchet operating mechanism which in turn is operated by a manually operable actuator E which is adapted to be controlled through the use of suitable operating means of which the reciprocable rod 40 forms a part. The actuator may be of any suitable construction, the device E shown consisting of a suitable frame 4| which is adapted to be mounted in the cabinet containing the dispensing unit. Reciprocable in and out of the frame 4| is a hand operable pull rod 42 on which is fixed a collet block 43 on the lower side of which is a boss 44 and on the upper side a longitudinal series of ratchet teeth 45. The frame 4| has a depending inner arm 46, to the lower extending portion of which is pivoted at 41 a forwardly extending swinging drive lever 48, the free end of which is freely linked to the boss 44 so that as the hand operable pull rod 42 is reciprocated longitudinally, the drive lever 48 is swung up and down. An expansion spring 49' is threaded overthe shank of pull rod 42 between the outer portion of the frame 4| and the collet block 43. This spring permits the pull rod to be drawn outwardly and to swing the lever 48 downwardly and serves to return the pull rod inwardly and swing the lever 48 back into superior position. The lever 48 is provided with a pair of shoulders 48, which are spaced apart sufficiently to admit and engage the antifriction pinion roller 50 on the crank arm 5| (see Fig. 5). A pawl 45' sweeps over and engages teeth 45 to prevent any reversal of the pull rod 42 until a complete stroke forward or backward has been made. In this manner jamming by improper operation and milking by thieves, of the machine are prevented.

The rocker shaft 52 is employed to transmit rotating movement successively to the magazine frame C, through the turn table 2| and ratchet wheel 35, said shaft being movably connected by the crank arm 55 thereon and connecting rod 56 with one end of a walking beam 51. The walking beam is freely journaled between its ends on the lower end of the pivot bolt 22, which latter serves to assist in mounting the ratchet wheel, turn table and magazine frame C on the skeleton base l8. The opposite end of the walking beam pivotally supports the pawl 58, the free end of which successively e gages the periphery of the ratchet wheel 35 in the ratchet engaging notches 59 to rotate the ratchet wheel a step forwardly in the direction of the arrows shown in Fig. 5, each time the shaft 52 is propelled forwardly through the positive operation of the actuator. ing beam 5'l-is returned to normal position, that is the position when the actuator rod 42 is fully returned inwardly by th retractile spring 60, and the pawl 58 is pressed into releasable engagement with the ratchet wheel by the retractile spring 6|. Thus the return movement of the walking beam causes the pawl to sweep back over the periphery of the ratchet wheel while the magazine frame is retained as set forth below in stationary position, immediately following a movement when a fresh or succeeding compartment of the magazine has beenrotated and caused to coincide with the sight opening l3 in the face plate A.

When the walking beam 51 is reciprocated a full stroke forwardly the ratchet wheel is engaged automatically to prevent further unintentional movement by the stop pawl in the form of a spring pressed bolt 62. This bolt slides freely in the supporting arm 63 on the lower side of the skeleton base l8. The pawl serves to lock the magazine frame in normal delivery position. During the early portion of the forward rotative movement of the operating shaft 52 the stop pawl 62 is depressed from engagement with the ratchet wheel by a release bar 64. This release bar is held in a guide socket member 66' which radiates from the axis of the walking beam but is fixed to beam 51 so that as the walking beam is tilted into forward position the release bar sweeps over and depresses the stop pawl and releases it so as to ride upon the periphery of the ratchet wheel. Following the first portion of the releasing action, the pawl 58 engages a notch in the ratchet Wheel and revolves the turn table and the magazine a step forward. The release bar 64 is pivotally held in the guide socket provided by the guide ocket member 66 above a leaf spring 66 and is beveled on its outer end (see Figs. 5, 7 and 8) so that when the ratchet pawl 58 disengages from the ratchet wheel at the end of the forward portion of the stroke of the ratchet mechanism and returns to normal position, the release bar is The walk- 4 agsssnov lowered against the t-tension :of: spring-E6 by the stop pawl :62 and: is permitted to assume :reengaging position as shown in Fig. 5, attthe end of the complete stroke.

Thus when operating the'dispensing unit, each time the operating rod 42 of the actuator is pulled outwardly and .released back into normal position the magazine frame is-rotated "a step forward to permit the removal'of a package :or "other article previously displayed through the sight opening l3. At the same time a fresh article ismoved into registration with the sight opening. The door f6 which closes the mouth l5, through which the articles are permitted to be discharged by the operation of the dispensing unit is normally held closed by theuspring 21, the latter being connected to the crank operating arm 61 on the. lowerend of the pintle 68, fixed to the door and bywhich the door is hinged in the face plate A. To positively lock the door against opening except when a compartment in the magazine frame containing an article to be discharged has been :moved into registration with the mouth of the device, a keeper 69 is pivoted at 10 on the lower surface afforded by the face plate element. This keeper hasa shoulder H which blocks the crank arm 6'! from swinging and normally holds the door closed. The keeper has a guide surface 12 in the path of the pivot 13 which attaches the connecting rod to the walking beam so that as the shaft 52 is rotated forwardly by the outward pull of the actuating rod 42, the keeper releases shoulder H from engagement with the crank arm 61 and permits the door to be opened and an article in the coinciding compartment to be removed by the vendee. The keeper is adapted to be returned into normal locking position after the door is closed by the arm 14, which is adapted to be connected with the coin operated mechanism, not shown.

In accordance with the patent statutes, I have described the principles of operation of my invention together with the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof, but I desire to have it understood that the construction shown is only illustrative and that the invention can be carried out by other means and applied to uses other than those above set forth within the spirit thereof and within the scope of the following claims:

I claim:

1. In a dispensing unit, a revo'luble magazine frame rotatable in a horizontal plane having an annular series of compartments opening radially outwardly in which a plurality of objects to be dispensed are adapted to be held, a face member cooperating with said magazine frame having a si ht opening through which the object in a compartment about to be dispensed is exposed to view and a delivery orifice adjoining said sight opening through which the object previously exposed through the sight opening is permitted to be delivered to the exterior of the dispensing unit when the magazine is rotated a step forward, reciprocating means for rotating the magazine frame successively forward to cause the compartments to register successively with said sight opening and delivery orifice, an actuating element cooperating with said reciprocating means for causing the magazine frame to function said delivery orifice having a normally closed gate, a lock for holding the gate closed and means functioning by each operation of the reciprocating means for releasing the lock to permit the opening of the gate.

1 2. In a unit for dispensingarticlesa base, an enclosurewalltabove the base having a gateway through-its rearward portionand a 'face'member on'l its forwardside, sai'd face member having a forwardly openingorificegaturntable freely revolubule'upon said base, an annular magazine frame :jour'na'led' to revolve with said turntable having anannular series of segmental compartments opening radially outwardly within said closure wall in which a plurality of articles to be dispensed are adapted to be held, said compartments being normally closed within said enclosure walland adapted to coincide with said orifice successively to permit the delivery of, an articleat a'ti-me to the exterior of the unit when the magazine frame is :rotated a step forward, a releasable lock pin engaging'themagazine'frame to the turntable and when withdrawn permitting the magazine frame to-swivel'freely and provide free access for filling the compartments in the magazine frame through said gateway, and ratchetmechanism for operating the turntable to successively rotate the magazine frame and cause the compartments there'in to successively register with said orificeand permit the discharge of an article at a time through said orifice.

3. In an apparatus as defined in claim 2, the magazin frame having an upwardly extending rim and each compartment in the magazine frame being provided with a resilient outwardly urged projector by which the articles in the compartments are lodged in substantially upright position against said rim free from the stationary enclosure wall to permit free revolution of the magazine frame.

4. In a dispensing unit, a base, an annular closure wall above the base having a gateway through its inner portion and a face member in its forward portion, said face member having an orifice opening forwardly, an annular magazine frame revoluble in a horizontal plane upon said base h'aving an annular series of compartments opening radially outwardly in which a plurality of articles to be dispensed are adapted to be held, said compartments being adapted to coincide with said orifice successively to permit delivery of an article to the exterior of the dispensing unit when the magazine frame is rotated a, tep forward, ratchet mechanism for successively rotating the magazine frame to cause a compartment to register with said orifice by each operation, actuating means for operating said ratchet mechanism to cause the functioning of said magazine frame, a spring closed gate in said orifice, and a lock for holding the orifice gate closed actuated into open position to release the gate into open position by the functioning of the ratchet mechanism when the magazine frame is rotated a step forwardly.

5. In a unit for dispensing articles, a base, an enclosure wall above the base having a forwardly located delivery orifice, a turntable freely rovoluble upon said base, an annular magazine frame journaled freely above said turn table within said enclosure having an annular series of compartments opening radially outwardly in which a plurality of articles to be dispensed are adapted to be held, said compartmentsbeing normally closed within said enclosure wall and adapted to register with said orifice successively position whereby when released the magazine frame may be freely rotated to permit recharging empty compartments and when reengaged reto register with said orifice successively, a closure element movably mounted on said face member to open or close over said orifice, and an operating mechanism between said actuating means and said closure element for releasing a, lock to permit the closure element to open the orifice when the actuating means is reciprocated forwardly.

'7. In a dispensing unit, a revoluble magazine frame rotatable in a horizontal plane having an annular series of compartments opening radially outwardly in which a, plurality of objects to be dispensed are adapted to be held, a, face member cooperating with said magazine frame having a sight opening through which the object in a compartment about to be dispensed is exposed to view and a delivery orifice in proximity to said sight opening through which the object previously exposed through the sight opening i permitted to be delivered from the dispensing unit when the magazine frame is rotated at step forward, reciprocating means for rotating the magazine frame successively forward to cause the compartments to register successively with said sight opening and delivery orifice, an actuating element cooperating with said reciprocating means for causing the magazine frame to function, said delivery orifice having a gate hinged to swing forward into open position clear of the sight opening, and operating means controlled by said reciproeating means releasing a lock to permit the opening of the gate to dispense an article from the compartment in registration with said orifice,

CHARLES F. PEASE. 

